Particle Defect Reduction in the Endura Titanium Nitride PVD Sputter System
- Sandia National Laboratories
Particles are inevitably generated in physical vapor deposition (PVD) systems due to the delamination of deposited films on various process chamber parts and shielding. Non-collimated (blanket) and collimated PVD Titanium Nitride (TiN) deposition processes are used for metal ARC (anti-reflective coating) and underlayers, and for the "contact liner" deposition steps (TiN adhesion layers before plug formation). Probe yield analysis and SRAM bit failure analysis, using conventional failure analysis, have shown that particles at these process steps can have a significant impact on wafer yields. In many typical semiconductor wafer fabs, particles generated by TiN film deposition rank consistently at or near the top of the defect pareto. This paper summarizes the results of defect reduction experiments conducted on an Applied Materials Endura Physical Vapor Deposition (PVD) system and various off-line experiments examining film and adhesion characteristics. It includes the results of film adhesion and shield temperature control experiments aimed at reducing defect levels. Key fidings, particle reduction results, and recommended defect reduction measures are presented. The reduction in particles not only can improve yields, but also result in substantial cost savings through the extension of chamber kit end-of-life (EOL).
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Laboratories (SNL), Albuquerque, NM, and Livermore, CA
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-94AL85000
- OSTI ID:
- 8463
- Report Number(s):
- SAND99-1581C; ON: DE00008463
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Ceramic coatings via PVD
Evaporation rate and composition monitoring of electron beam PVD processes